Romania

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PRODUCTION INCENTIVES:Trying to build on the publicity from 2003’s “Cold Mountain” shoot, the Romanian Parliament is working on a 16% rebate for foreign film production. Recent films took advantage of the U.K. sale-and-leaseback scheme and the European Convention on Co-production. Romania’s competitors in attracting foreign films are its film studios, MediaPro and Castel. Romanian producers will be getting a boost in state financing, however, with $10 million promised, up from $3 million last year. That funding, however, is aimed at increasing the volume of national films, with a 65%-of-budget or $300,000 cap in effect. Romania continues to attract lower-budget action films, with the occasional foray into vampire action romances like Lakeshore’s “Blood and Chocolate.” Castel Film Studio participates as a co-production partner in providing services, while MediaPro recently began moving into international co-productions.

IN FOCUS:“Joyeux Noel” (Merry Christmas), the Oscar-nominated foreign-language film from France’s Nord-Ouest, was a French/German/U.K./Romanian co-production, with 10% of its budget coming from MediaPro Pictures. Film was a prime example of European co-production, involving a multicultural story and cast from the French, German and British partners. Set construction and labor costs in Romania keep budgets 30% lower than Western Europe.

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The Cannes Market, the Cannes Film Festival’s commercial wing, says that its 2019 edition welcomed a record number of participants. It reported 12,527 attendees. The largest group by nationality was from the U.S. with 2,264 participants, followed by France with 1,943 participants, and the U.K. 1,145. Comparable figures for 2018 were not available. The number [...]

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